notesVOLUME 21 NO.1 2019

Meghan McCarthy McPhaul

J ack-in-the-pulpits (Arisaema triphyllum) are notthe most colorful spring flowers, but what they

lack in beauty they make up for in interesting char-acteristics. These easily-identified plants are full ofsurprises, from their ability to change from male tofemale (and back) to the bite of their calcium oxalatecrystals, which can make your tongue feel like it’s fullof burning splinters.

Jack-in-the-pulpit surfaces in wet, shaded wood-land areas in mid-spring as a purpley-brown spike,all tucked up within itself. As the days meandertoward summer, this spike unfolds into leaves andflower, with the plants growing as tall as two feet.The floral anatomy here includes a spadix of tinyflowers contained within a hooded spathe: Jackenclosed within his pulpit.

Of course, not all the flowers are “Jacks;” some ofthem are “Jills.” And last year’s Jill could very well bethis year’s Jack — and vice versa. Jack-in-the-pulpitschange sex from year to year based on how muchenergy a plant contains in its corm, a bulbous under-ground stem that stores the plant’s carbohydrates.

“Producing fruit takes a lot of energy, usuallymore than any one plant has stored in its corm,” saidDan Jaffe, a botanist with the New England WildFlower Society. “Most plants will produce male-onlyflowers while they are storing up additional energy.The male flowers produce pollen, which doesn’trequire much energy. As the plant matures it willcontinue to photosynthesize and store energy in theform of sugars in its root system. Once enoughenergy has been stored, the plant will produce femaleflowers, and if pollinated will then produce berries.After fruiting, the plant will revert back to beingmale, and the cycle will continue.”

continued on page 4

The Outside StoryJack-in-the-Pulpit, or is it Jill?

Jack-in-the-pulpit on forest floor. Photo: Ian Gardner

PRESIDENT’S NOTE

Hello — I’m very excited to be in this position andwriting my first newsletter address! First, I would

like to thank Jean for her many years of leadership andfor her continued support.

I work at a nature center where we guide many ele-mentary school children on various fieldtrips depending

on age. The older children learn about IPM(Integrated Pest Management) where wediscuss invasive species and their effect onthe ecosystem. During one fieldtrip severalyears ago, a young boy raised his hand andshouted “Why doesn’t someone DO some-thing about this?” I explained that peopleare, but it requires a lot of time and money,etc. However, I could not get that question

out of my mind. I always enjoyed gardening, so a discus-sion with coworkers led to the creation of a native plantpollinator garden at the nature center. The more Iresearched native plants, the more passionate (orobsessed?) I became about them. This led to more gar-dens around the nature center and a total re-landscapingmy entire yard. I wish that young boy would know theimpact his question had.

One person can make a difference. As I read theunsettling results of the first global scientific review ofinsect population decline, I find hope that the trend canbe reversed and that our native plant niche can play apart in more sustainable agriculture and landscapingpractices.

From our personal gardens to taking a more activerole in government decision making, we can all have animpact on educating the general population on the bene-fits of native plants.

Our goal is to continue outreach at events throughoutthe state; however, it is impossible for us to staff all theseevents. If you know of an event in your area and wouldlike to manage a PNPS information table, please send anemail to info@panativeplantsociety.org. Also, please con-sider hosting an event if you are part of an organization.See the article later in this newsletter concerning thedirection we will be pursuing in the Chapters Update.

Watch for our monthly e-newsletter! This email willbe sent out around the middle of the month with a cal-endar of events throughout the state. Check to see whatis happening in your area! Please contact info@panative-plantsociety.org if you would like to have somethingposted, or if you would like to receive it and have not.

Danielle Lanagan

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BOARD OF D IRECTORS — 2019 –2020President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danielle LanaganVice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah ChamberlainPast President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jean NajjarRecording Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Merrill DavidCorresponding Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [vacant]

Correspondence@panativeplantsociety.orgTreasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [vacant]Directors at Large . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debra Grim

Falene Hamilton

NEW BOOK

PRAIRIE HERBARIUM: An Illustrated Guide to the Flowersand Grasses of Midwestern andEastern Tallgrass Prairies andMeadows of United States. By Harold W. Gardner and Mark A. Berhow

This book features 213 digitalimages of fresh cut flowers andgrasses. Superimposed on theflower image is a seed-head and seeds of the species. Thebook is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and LuluPress. The best price is Lulu Press: www.lulu.com/shop/harold-w-gardner-and-mark-a-berhow/prairie-herbar-ium/paperback/product-23945216.html

Preferred soil moisture for the plants can be obtainedfrom the authors at either hrldgrdnr4@aol.com orberhowma@comcast.net

CALL FOR ARTICLESPNPS NOTES

PNPS is seeking articles to appear in future Newsletters.The subject of articles must relate to native plants: high -lighting particular plants, the use of natives in the landscape,or their occurrence and or preservation in the wild. Sendyour article submissions along with credited photos to JeanNajjar at info@panativeplantsociey.org by June 30th.

THANK YOU NEWSLETTERS SPONSORS!

Readers will notice several ads in this issue of PNPSNotes. In an attempt to cover the production costs weoffered member businesses an opportunity to place spon-sorship ads in this issue. The response was amazing! Weactually ran out of space and had to start a waiting list for thenext issue. Thank you to everyone who offered your sup-port! This opportunity is limited to member businesses andorganizations that share our interest in promoting nativeplants. To become a sponsor please email Jean Jean Najjar atinfo@panativeplantsociey.org

Throughout 2019, PPCN is building networkcapacity and may take on a limited number of pilotprojects that highlight conservation needs andcapacities in Pennsylvania. The goal is to cultivatecollaborative projects across the network in waysthat meaningfully advance plant conservation inPennsylvania. PPCN will be gathering informationand feedback from potential network partners asthey move toward that goal.

They are holding their first public meeting inconjunction with the 2019 Rare Plant Forum onFriday, April 26th, 2019 from 10am–2:30pm atShavers Creek Environmental Center (near StateCollege) for a collaborative discussion about thegoals of the PPCN. The 2019 Rare Plant Forum willoccur the following day — Saturday, April 27thfrom 9am–3pm at the same location.

Any professional, volunteer, representative of a conservationgroup, or plant enthusiast is welcome to attend this meeting onFriday to hear about current plant conservation projects and theproposed framework for the PPCN. Space is limited and registration is required. To register: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4049657Please direct any questions or concerns to the PPCN Program Coordinator, Kristina Allen. She can be reached via email at C-Krallen@pa.gov

Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center

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By Kristi Allen, Program CoordinatorPennsylvania Plant Conservation Network

PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

The Pennsylvania Plant Conservation Network (PPCN) is anew program spearheaded by the Department of Conservationand Natural Resources (DCNR). The mission of the PPCN is towork collaboratively to promote and coordinate the conservationof native plant species and plant communities through advocacy,education, and stewardship.

THREE SPRING NATIVE FAVORITESJake Fitzpatrick, Nursery Manager at Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, recommends this trio of spring flowering natives to brightenyour landscape and attract native pollinators and birds. To learn more about Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve check out their website: https://bhwp.org.

Wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) Another important plant in our propa-

gation efforts, the wood poppies’ colorfulsunshine-yellow flowers bloom a bit laterthan Virginia bluebells and last for manyweeks. Wood poppies also generously pro-duce new plants along the sides of the par-ent plants. One of the most encouragingcharacteristics of this native plant is itsability to do well in full or partial shade,and to tolerate quite a bit of sun with nochange in bloom production.

Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virginica) The term “spring garden” comes to

mind when picturing this splendid anddependable treasure of the Preserve. Thenew emerging purple-tinted leaf clusters,with their graceful display of flowers, makethis plant a favorite of gardeners. Beingephemerals, they die back soon afterblooming in early spring. However, manyVirginia bluebells will have seeded,rewarding the gardener with new seedlingsthe following year. Easily transplanted,look for two-inch, two-leaved seedlingswith purple-green coloration.

Golden ragwort (Packera aurea) Our final featured plant has a more

defined use profile: it is an under-usedgroundcover. The leaf shape is very pleas-ing while the flowers atop the tender,straight stems have a definite woodlandcharm. With a deep golden yellow color,this plant blooms and grows easily in shadewhile quickly spreading outward in richsoil. It can spread in more difficult condi-tions as well. Requiring little maintenance,golden ragwort is a favorite semi-ever-green ground cover — particularly in areaswhere you can allow it to spread widely.

THE PENNSYLVANIA PLANT CONSERVATION NETWORK

Meghan McCarthy McPhaul is an author and freelance writer. She lives in Franco-nia, New Hampshire. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Wood-lands magazine, northernwoodlands.org and sponsored by the Wellborn EcologyFund of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: wellborn@nhcf.org

Northern Woodlands, PO Box 471, Corinth, Vermont 05039Tel. 802.439.6292 / Fax 802.439.6296 | www. northernwoodlands.org

This article is reprinted with the permission of the Center For Northern WoodlandsEducation. A not for profit organization, Northern Woodlands seeks to advance a culture of forest stewardship in the northeast by increasing understanding of and appreciation for the natural wonders, economic productivity and ecologicalintegrity of the region’s forests.

Subscribe or donate at www.northernwoodlands.org.

4

to humans. The flowers, roots, and leavesof Jack-in-the-pulpit contain high concen-trations of calcium oxalate crystals. Thesecrystals, the major ingredient of painfulkidney stones, cause severe burning andswelling.

That seems to only be a danger tohumans, however, as many animals eatboth the corms and berries of Jack-in-the-pulpit. The corms are a favorite late-springsnack for black bears, which neatly extractthem from the ground. Deer eat the roots,while wood thrush, turkeys, and other wildbirds eat the berries, which are a particularfavorite of ring-neck pheasants.

None of these animals seems willing tosnack on the Jack-in-the-pulpits growingbeneath the wild rose hedge along our dri-veway; it seems the thick brambles keepthem protected. Each spring we lookeagerly for the plant’s first spikes. Asspring turns to summer, we watch themgrow and develop tall green leaves andstriped spathes, each one containing a little Jack — or Jill — within its hoodedpulpit. n

Male flowers are generally accompaniedby a single leaf comprising three leaflets.Females, thanks to their additional energystores, usually sprout two leaves. Beyondthat, the plants look basically the same,unless you open the spathe to examine theflowers within. Male flowers appear in aloose cluster of tiny, pale yellow pollenblooms. The female flower resembles acylindrical cluster of small green berries,which will mature and become the plant’scrimson fruit in late summer.

Fungus gnats and flies, attracted by theplant’s color and odor, are the main polli-nators of Jack-in-the-pulpit, although theyhave a tough go of it. Because of thespathe’s deep cylindrical lower structureand the location of the flowers at the baseof the spadix, would-be pollinators oftenget stuck in the plant.

“The way the flower is arranged is simi-lar to a fish trap — wide in one direction,narrow in the other,” said Jaffe. “As[insects] bumble around in the spathe, try-ing to find a way out, they get coated inpollen in male flowers and transfer thatpollen to the stigmas in female flowers.”

While the spathes of the male flowershave a small opening at the base, by whichlucky pollinators may eventually emerge— carrying their burden of pollen — thereis no such escape hatch in the female plant.Any insect that finds its way into a femaleJack-in-the-pulpit may spend the rest of itslife within the spathe.

Although Native Americans found avariety of uses for the dried corm of Jack-in-the-pulpit (also called Indian turnip) —from grinding it into flour to relievingcolds, fevers, and snakebites — all parts ofthe plant, in raw form, are quite poisonous

Jack-in-the-Pulpitcontinued from page 1

Jack-in-the-pulpit fruit. Photo: Jean Najjar

Jack-in-the-pulpit flower. Photo: Karen Smith

Jack-in-the-pulpit leaves. Photo: Jean Najjar

HedgerowsDefining Edges with Diverse Plant CommunitiesHedgerowsDefining Edges with Diverse Plant Communities

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and serve a number of different purposes.The celebrated hedgerows of Britainserved as fences for livestock. Theurban/suburban hedge marks a boundaryand provides privacy for swimming poolsand movie stars. As a response to the DustBowl, hedges were planted on Americanfarms to act as windbreaks, preventing soilerosion. Some hedges are planted simplyfor their ornamental value!

Have you noticed yet that hedgerowcontains the word, “edge”? In ecology, anedge is defined as the place where twoenvironments meet. That’s where you willfind the highest level of biodiversity. They

By Cathy PierceWinghaven Nursery, Coburn PA

What do you picture in your mindwhen you see the word,

“hedgerow”? In preparation to write thisarticle, it occurred to me that the term hasfallen into antiquity, and most peopleprobably aren’t sure what a hedgerow isanymore. The textbook definition is that ahedgerow consists of a long, fairly narrowarrangement of usually native, woody andherbaceous plants, including trees, shrubs,grasses and forbs, and often includingvines. Hedgerows come in many forms

are resource-wealthy niches, providingboth food and protection. Hedgerows,whether wild or intentional, fulfil thisvaluable function by forming connectionsbetween isolated patches of habitat. Polli-nators and birds alike rely on these corri-dors to travel safely and with less effortfrom place to place. It would be nice if con-tractors were required to leave a twentyfoot wide hedgerow through the middle ofnew housing developments, but for now,it’s up to us to restore these vital habitats.Trees and shrubs in hedgerows furnishnesting sites for birds. Native plants supplythe correct food for moth and butterflylarva, which in turn feed baby birds. Nativebees pollinate the fruit, flowers andgrasses, ensuring the future for all. Biolog-ically diverse communities reflect theinterdependency of all life forms thatinhabit them and remind us of our owndependence on nature.

But don’t grab your garden tools yet!There are many things to deliberate whenplanning a hedgerow of your own, butprobably the most important thing is sitecondition. Length and width, soil type anddepth, moisture and drainage, wind and

continued on page 7

Photo: Whatcom Conservation District www.whatcomcd.org/hedgerows

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FOX HILL GARDENSwww.foxhillgardens.com1035 Fox Hill RoadState College, PA 814-237-9087

GINO’S NURSERYwww.ginosnursery.com2237 2nd Street PikeNewtown, PA 215-598-3992

GO NATIVE TREE FARMwww.gonativetrees.com678 S Chiques RoadManheim, PA717-538-0393

GROWIN’ NATIVE NURSERYwww.growinnative.comMansfield, PA (570) 662-3735

KEYSTONE WILDFLOWERSwww.keystonewildflowers.com675 Hill RoadRobesonia, PA 610-750-4186

MEADOWSWEET NATIVEPLANT FARMwww.meadowsweetnative.com5605 Waltersdorff RoadSpring Grove, PA 717-487-3612

PERENNIAL GARDENShttp://perennialgardens.name698 Shermans Valley RoadNew Bloomfield, PA 717-275-5725

SPRING HAVEN NURSERIESwww.springhavennatives.com1362 Mountain RoadNewburg, PA717-423-6652Email: SpringHaven@pa.net

TAIT FARM NATIVE PLANT NURSERY179 Tait RoadCentre Hall, PA 16828email: dave.hopey@gmail.com814-380-4060

THE ROCK GARDENwww.therockgarden-nursery.com176 Brush Valley RoadBoalsburg, PA No Pre-Orders

WING HAVEN NURSERYwww.facebook.com/wing-haven.nursery115 Bartges RoadCoburn, PA 814-303-2218

CENTRAL PA NATIVE PLANT FESTIVAL AND SALE

Saturday, May 4, 2019 • Meet the Plant VendorsWe will again be enforcing a “No Early Sales”policy this year,BUT you can place ADVANCE ORDERS with most of our ven-dors, so you can pre-order to ensure you get the plant you want.Visit our website to see a list of available plants and contact thevendor to place your order.

www.panativeplantsociety.org/plant-sale-vendors.html

Designing, Building, and Maintaining Functional, Natural Landscapes for over 30 years.

www.landstudies.com | 315 North Street, Lititz, PA717-627-4440 | land@landstudies.com

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exposed areas include Butterfly and Com-mon Milkweed, Little Bluestem, GoldenAlexander, Wild Columbine, Lupine, FalseIndigo, Penstemon and New England orAromatic Aster.

Perhaps you have a few large trees thatprovide shade for part of the day. Almostall plants benefit from a little respite fromthe midday sun, and the vast majority ofnative plants will thrive in this environ-ment, so have a blast! But if your hedgerowwill have to compete for sunlight in a trulyshady spot, try trees typically found in theunderstory such as Flowering Dogwood,Redbud, Birch and Striped Maple, andshrubs like Spicebush, American Hazelnut,Maple Leaf Viburnum, and Mountain orSheep Laurel. People commonly plantferns in the shade, and while there aremany native ferns, they are not as valuableto wildlife as most flowering groundcoversand sedges. Try white or blue Wood Aster,Goat’s Beard, Bellwort, Wild Ginger,native Pachysandra, Violas, Stonecrop,Golden Ragwort, Foamflower, even Vir-ginia Bluebells!

One last consideration, and this isimportant. When selecting plants for yourhedgerow, or even just for general land-

sun exposure, these must be assessedbefore plant selection can begin. While wecan adjust for size and amend the soil, sunand wind are fixed and demand their duerespect. Beyond these, think about the pur-pose and function you’d like yourhedgerow to perform. Will it look wild anduntamed, or somewhat sculpted? Wouldyou like to harvest some fruit from it? Isyour goal to provide nectar throughout theseason for pollinators? Perhaps you have afencerow that needs more of a prairiemotif. Whatever your goals, there areplenty of attractive and useful native plantsto fulfil them.

If you have a sunny, exposed site con-sider a few plants that offer protection likeconifers and ninebark or gray dogwood.These will help block the wind for fruitingand ornamental choices such as Elder-berry, American Plum, Northern Bay-berry, Crabapple, Allegheny Serviceberryand Witch Hazel. Hickory, Black Locust,Maple, Oak, and Sycamore trees stand upwell to the wind. Forbs and grasses for

scaping, endeavor to choose plants of vari-ous heights. The purpose is to provide lay-ers, micro-habitat if you will, to attract awider variety of visitors. For example,some birds feed on the ground, some inbushes and lower branches of trees andothers only in the high canopy. Same goesfor insects, mammals and amphibians. Amore diverse plant community will sup-port a more diverse animal community.No one gets marginalized.

It’s so encouraging to see the pendulumswinging back toward planting morenatives in the landscape. We really needmore trees and shrubs, especially! So ifyou’ve decided to plant a hedgerow of yourown, I’d love to hear about it. In additionto the PNPS Sale, I’m at the Furnace Man-sion sale as well as the Master Gardeners,and at the Boalsburg Farmers Market onTuesdays beginning in May. Or, I cancome out and suggest plants for your siteupon direct consultation. Regardless ofwhere you buy your native plants, pleasekeep planting them! Before you know it,you’ll be mowing less and enjoying thecompany of a whole host of wingedfriends. We can make a difference, oneyard at a time! n

Hedgerowscontinued from page 5

PNPS FACEBOOK GROUP HOW TO JOINOur Facebook group has grown into an active community of

over 6,300 members over the past few years. We welcome anyoneinterested in sharing photos or activities related to native plants,or learning more about them. This is a closed group but you canjoin. Just visit the group and submit a request. You will beprompted to answer a couple of questions before an administra-tor can approve you. These are the questions: “Do you want tojoin?” And, “what state do you live in?” Requests will be declinedif these are not answered, even if someone sends you an invitationto join. We do this to reduce spam and abuse.

Here is the link: www.facebook.com/groups/panativeplantsociety

PO Box 807 • Boalsburg PA 16827

Return service requested.

Inside this issue:Page 1 Jack-in-th-PulpitPage 3 PA Plant Conservation NetworkPage 5 HedgerowsPage 6 Central PA Plant Fest

Please remember to renew.

Presorted StandardU.S. Postage

PAIDState College, PA

Permit No. 21

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2019

APRIL 27 Lancaster Native Plant and Wildlife Festival,Manheim Township Public Library, Lancaster, PA

APRIL 27* Earth Day Birthday at Millbrook MarshNature Center, State College, PA

APRIL 27* NEPA Green Fair, Nay Aug Park, 1901 Mulberry St, Scranton, PA

MAY 4* Central Pennsylvania Native Plant Festival andSale, Boalsburg, PA

MAY 11* MAEscapes Native Plant Sale York, PA

JUNE 5–8 Native Plants in the Landscape Conference Millersville University, Millersville PA

JUNE 23* Millbrook Marsh Native Plant Walk, State College PA

AUG 3–4* Festival of Wood, Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, PA

Visit our website for an up to date listing of events:www.panativeplantsociety.org

* Seeking volunteers for this event please email Jean atinfo@panativeplantsociety.org.